Afghan “Death” militia emerges, vows to fight Islamic State, Taliban

Marg militiamen pose for a group photo in late January 2015. Source: Afghan Zariza In late January 2015, dozens of armed men draped in the red, green, and black colors of the Afghan national flag, announced the formation of a new anti-Taliban and anti-Islamic State militia in Afghanistan’s northern province of Balkh. The militia, called “Marg” – the word for death in the Dari language – boasted of having a troop strength of 5,000 armed men, although the number could not be independently corroborated and is most likely exaggerated. However, on Jan. 26, dozens of Marg militia members visited the provincial council in Balkh and formally offered to fight against the Islamic State and the Taliban, according to a report by Afghan Zariza . Marg, which reportedly is now active in five northern Afghan provinces, which includes Balkh and Faryab, consists mainly of former mujaheddin ...